Stereolithography(SLA)
Stereolithography (SLA) is a powerful 3D printing technique ever developed. It produces highly accurate and high-resolution, detailed parts. It’s used directly in end-use, low-volume production, or for prototyping. Unionfab offers over 30 uniquely engineered SLA materials to enable products to the market at reduced production costs.
How Stereolithography 3D Printing Works
As with any 3D printing technique, a 3D digital file is required. Using any CAD software or 3D scan data to design your model and export it in a 3D printable file format (STL or OBJ). Each SLA printer includes software to specify printing settings and slice the digital model into layers for Printing. Once setup is complete, the print preparation software sends the instructions to the printer via a wireless or cable connection.
Stereolithography machines contain a resin tray, a mobile platform (Z-axis), a scraping system (X-axis), a UV laser, focusing optics, and a mirror galvanometric (X and Y axes).
The laser beam sweeps the surface of the liquid resin according to the digital 3D model supplied to the printer. After one layer has been solidified, the platform descends a level. The following section is then hardened. There are as many printing cycles as there are layers necessary to obtain the complete volume of the piece.
Why Use SLA?
One of the advantages of stereolithography is its speed; functional parts can be manufactured within a day. The length of time it takes to produce a single part depends upon the complexity of the design and the size. Printing time can last anywhere from hours to more than a day. Prototypes and creations made with stereolithography are strong enough to be machined and can also be used to make master patterns for injection molding or various metal casting processes.
Why Make your 3D Priting at Unionfab?
- Endless Options Choose from millions of possible combinations of materials, finishes, tolerances, markings, and certifications for your order.
- Easy to Use Get your parts delivered right to your door without the hassle of sourcing, project management, logistics, or shipping.
- Vetted Network We are ISO 9001:2015 certified and AS9100D compliant. Only the top shops that apply to become Suppliers make it through our qualification process.
Design Guidelines: Stereolithography(SLA)
| US | Metric | |
| Max Size | 82.68 in. x27.55 in. x31.50 in. | 2100 mm x 700 mm x 800 mm |
| Normal Size | 31.50 in. x31.50 in. x 21.65 in. | 800 mm x 800 mm x 550 mm |
| Standard Size | 23.62 in. x 23.62 in. x 15.75 in. | 600 mm x 600 mm x 400 mm |
| US | Metric | |
| Normal Resolution | 0.0039 in. | 0.1mm |
| High Resolution | 0.0028 in. | 0.07mm |
| Micro Resolution | 0.0020 in. | 0.05mm |
| US | Metric | |
| Normal Resolution | X-Y: 0.010 in. Z: 0.016 in. |
X-Y: 0.254mm Z: 0.406mm |
| High Resolution | X-Y: 0.005 in. Z: 0.016 in. |
X-Y: 0.1016mm Z: 0.406mm |
| Micro Resolution | X-Y: 0.0025 in. Z: 0.008 in. |
X-Y: 0.0508mm Z: 0.203mm |
SLA Minimum Wall Thickness
Thin Wall >= 0.7 mm
SLA Tolerances
For well-designed parts, tolerances in the X/Y dimension of ±0.002 in. (0.05mm) for first inch plus ±0.001 in./in. (0.001mm/mm), and Z dimension tolerances of ±0.005 in. for first inch plus ±0.001 in./in. (0.001mm/mm), can typically be achieved. Note that tolerances may change depending on part geometry.
| Standard | Support remove, polish make a smooth surface, no visible layer lines. |
|---|---|
| Custom | Soft-touch paint, clear part finishing, painting, masking, color matching, decals/graphic, and texture finishes are available. |
Stereolithography(SLA) Material Options
Standard Resin(White)
- Features:
[Print Size]
2100*900*700 MM[Features]
Most Commonly Used Resin[Print Effect]
SmoothThe material’s look and feel are almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making it perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications and resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.
- Color:
- White
- Introduction:
-
Standard Resin has excellent surface detail and white texture and is the most commonly used resin with good dimensional accuracy. SLA 3D prints robust and precise concept models and prototypes that bring your ideas to life with Formlabs’ library of Standard Resins. Prints are ready to use right off the printer with a matte surface finish, opaque appearance, and precise details. In addition, their neutral undertone makes an excellent base for parts that will eventually be painted or undergo other finishing processes.
Standard Resin captures smooth surfaces and details, making it great for presentation-ready pieces or as a base for painted prints.
Transparent Resin
- Features:
[Print Size]
800*800*550 MM[Features]
Ultra Clear for Display[Print Effect]
Ultra Clear- Color:
- Clear
- Introduction:
-
Is a transparent material with a slight blue tinge constructed from a liquid resin that is hardened by a laser. SLA photosensitive resin with high transparency and low viscosity the components are built at the cost of clarity, excellent strength and toughness, high precision and good dimensional stability.
The Resin builds components to last 6.5 months, or more suitable for car, healthcare, consumer electronics, and other industries invest in maternal models, conceptual models, and general parts, which require a lot of transparency.
Somos PerFORM
- Features:
[Print Size]
600*600*400 MM[Features]
Temperature resistance 260℃
Ceramic-like
Ultra detail resolution
Ultra rigid, strong[Print Effect]
SmoothThe material’s look and feel are almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making it perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications and resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.
- Color:
- Off White
- Introduction:
-
Somos PerFORM produces strong, stiff, high-temperature resistant composite parts on standard
355 nm stereolithography machines. This material’s lower viscosity makes processing parts faster. it exhibits superior sidewall quality, along with excellent detail resolution compared to other composite stereolithography materials
Ultra Detail Resin
- Features:
[Print Size]
200x100x100 MM[Features]
Ultra Detail Resolution
Stiff
High temperature-resistant
Rigid[Print Effect]
Ultra Smooth & High Detail- Color:
- Natural Brown
- Introduction:
-
Ultra Detail Resin is a high-temperature resistant resin for building rigid and stiff parts.
It is a nanoparticle-filled material used to build hard-wearing, stiff and high temperature-resistant parts. They have an opaque peach colour appearance. It is ideal for applications requiring superior stiffness and high heat deflection temperature, such as automotive components, pump housings and impellers, wind tunnel test parts, light reflectors, injection molds, hard chrome plating, etc.
Rigid Resin(Black)
- Features:
[Print Size]
800*800*550 MM[Features]
The surface is smooth and precise
waterproof and moisture-proof,
solid black color and is paint free.
High printing accuracy, smooth surface, good detail expression and good dimensional stability. It is not easy to become soft in summer, and has strong chemical resistance.[Print Effect]
Smooth- Color:
- Black
- Introduction:
-
Rigid Resin is High printing accuracy, smooth surface, detail expression, dimensional stability, strong chemical resistance, paint-free products, high-precision products, and products used in high-humidity environments.
Rigid Resin is also pure black or White which can be painted without spraying material .
High Detail Resin
- Features:
[Print Size]
600*600*400 MM[Features]
High resolution
Fine detail
Nice Material Color[Print Effect]
Smooth / High Detail- Color:
- Natural Brown
- Introduction:
-
High-detail resin is a rigid opaque photo-polymeric liquid. Using extremely thin layers (32 µm), the material can print accurate and detailed parts without post-processing. Brown opaque liquid resin, good detail performance is suitable for printing art sculpture products.
Somos Taurus
- Features:
[Print Size]
600*600*400 MM[Features]
Heat tolerance up to 90°C
Strength and Durability[Print Effect]
Smooth / Matte- Color:
- Natural Charcoal
- Introduction:
-
Somos Taurus is the latest addition to the high impact family of stereolithography
(SLA) materials from Somos®. Parts printed with this material are easy to clean and
finish. This material's higher heat deflection temperature increases the number
of applications for the part producer and user. Somos® Taurus brings the combination
of thermal and mechanical performance that until now has only been achieved using
thermoplastic 3D printing techniques such as FDM and SLS.
UTR Therm
- Features:
[Print Size]
600*600*400 MM[Features]
Temperature resistance 120℃
high detail resolution
Rigid
Stiff[Print Effect]
SmoothThe material’s look and feel are almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making it perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications and resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.
- Color:
- Translucent Red
- Introduction:
-
UTR Therm is a red transparent low viscosity liquid photocuring molding resin, using UTR Therm (SLA) is made of molded parts with excellent High-temperature resistance, no load of molding parts under the use of temperature 150℃, especially suitable for manufacturing with high resolution, strong model, suitable
Combined baking paint, electroplating, rapid mold and other high-temperature requirements of the industry
UTR 8220
- Features:
[Print Size]
800*800*550 MM[Features]
Toughness[Print Effect]
Smooth- Color:
- Tender Green
- Introduction:
-
UTR 8220 is suitable for a high-precision SLA 3D printing rapid prototyping system with a 355nm light source; the printed parts have high precision and high dimensional stability. Its hardness is high, and the strength is high, the toughness is good, the print speed is fast, components with high precision, and excellent dimensional stability. Lent works for functional tests and processes that require higher levels of toughness.
Somos Evolve 128
- Features:
[Print Size]
600*600*400 MM[Features]
• Smooth finish
• High strength & durability
• Accurate & dimensionally stable
• High detail[Print Effect]
SmoothThe material’s look and feel are almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making it perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications and resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.
- Color:
- White
- Introduction:
-
Somos Evolve 128 is a durable stereolithography material that produces accurate,
high-detailed parts and has been designed for easy finishing. It has a look and feels
that is almost indistinguishable from finished traditional thermoplastics, making
it is perfect for building parts and prototypes for functional testing applications –
resulting in time, money and material savings during product development.
Somos Evolve 128 is an excellent material for aerospace,
automotive, medical, consumer products and electronics.
Compare our 3D Printing Services
| Service | Lead Times | Materials | Tolerances | Max Part Size |
| SLA | 1 – 3 days | Resin / Somos | +/- 0.003 in. | 800 x 800 x 550 mm |
| SLS | 2 – 5 days | PA12/ PA12GB | +/- 0.002 in. | 350 x 350 x 400 mm |
| MJF | 2 – 5 days | PA12/ PA12GB | +/- 0.002 in. | 380 x 280 x 380 mm |
| FDM | 2 – 5 days | PLA / ABS | +/- 0.003 in. | 500 x 500 x 400 mm |
| Poly Jet | 2 – 5 days | Resin | +/- 0.003 in. | 490 x 390 x 200 mm |
Stereolithography(SLA) Cases
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